Master of Mixed Signals
by Saltwater Romance
Summary: It was always a game with them, and who would have thought that she would finally fall for his charm? Collection of drabbles.
1. Chapter 1

**Master of Mixed-Signals**  
><em>By Saltwater Romance<em>

**Drabble #1**: What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger

* * *

><p>She was supposed to be the prey and him the predator. However, with his hair slicked up and his feet thrown over the coffee table, he would lazily wait until she approached him.<p>

Some days with her hair perfectly coiled and dressed to the nines, he would give her the once over. And some days with a spritz of perfume and a hug, he would smile appreciatively. And some days, she wouldn't try and he used to talk to her for hours. Used to anyway. She rarely left the house nowadays without the make-up, the uncomfortable outfits, and the hair combed until it shined... For him and always for him.

Tonight will be different, she told herself. She put on her pearls and threw a blazer over her bandeau. She tugged on her boots and groped for her purse. Tonight he will want her. Tonight he will come to her first. Tonight will decide the rest of their lives. Tonight, she will give up on pursuing him if he didn't show any interest.

He was late, and all of the best dancing songs were already played. She had fun with her girls, but she kept an eye on the door. He was late, and she was waiting by the corner, sipping on the purple cup that she only wished had alcohol in it. This was it. She inhaled and waited with expectation.

And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Every girl in the room and every guy in the room gravitated towards him. Except for her, but even she felt the pull. She kept nibbling on the same chip as she watched him hug every single one of the girls in the room. She watched him spend fifteen minutes talking to a couple in the corner. She watched him watch his ex-girlfriend dancing on the floor with the eyes that she wanted him to look at her with. She watched him take off his jacket and change the music with all of his buddies. She watched him take her breath away and run away with her heart.

It was time to let go. As she placed the cup gently on the table, she saw him approach from the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to get her hopes up as she reached for her purse. And he snagged her from behind.

She gave him the briefest of smiles and walked out of the door because he lost her. He came too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Sidenote<strong>: Sorry guys. This isn't for anyone, but myself and to relieve my mind from reality. I've been in the worst daze, and I'm trying to shake myself out of it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Master of Mixed Signals  
><strong>_By Saltwater Romance_

**Drabble #2:** Capitale de la Douleur

* * *

><p><em>"J'entends vibrer ta voix dans tous les bruits du monde"<em> – P. Eulard.

* * *

><p>This was it.<p>

Her eyes watered as she looked into his breathtaking eyes before he relented, enveloping her into his warmth. His hand smoothed down her hair and moved its way down to caress the small of her back. Her grip on him tightened, and she promised herself just as fiercely that she could survive this.

He even told her himself that she was the strongest person he knew; mountains would move on their own will before she would shed a tear.

His girlfriend gently tapped him on the shoulder, wanting to be the next to embrace her. His heat disappeared as his girlfriend's gentleness engulfed her.

Repeating her earlier promise, she again commanded herself not to cry. Especially not while in the arms of her competitor. A couple of months ago, they got back together. Right after she deemed him unworthy of her time. How was it that even though she told herself that he lost out on what could have been the best thing of his life, she felt like the loser?

She bit her cheek.

No.

This was not the time to mope. Or the time to cringe over the pounds gained over compensating for the emptiness in her heart with gallons of vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles and binge watching addictive TV shows. The tighter his girlfriend clung onto her, the more aware she became of the softness of her middle.

There was a honk behind her. She looked up to reality; she was finally moving away from the only home she knew. Before his girlfriend let her go, she drew an x over both their hearts. Forever connected.

She weakly waved to the others, halfheartedly agreeing to remain in contact with them all. They were naïve to think their friendships could withstand the distance.

He stared at her as she clambered into the moving truck. She foolishly locked eyes with him.

This was goodbye.

She was the first to look away.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Sidenote:<strong> I am thinking of completing the rest of my work before retiring.


	3. Chapter 3

**Master of Mixed Signals**  
><em>By Saltwater Romance<em>

**Drabble #3:** Game Changer

* * *

><p><em>"I know you think you bad; I know I told you that. We could do some things, but don't let that go to your head."<em> - The Specktators

* * *

><p>Could he keep up?<p>

Her hip turned sharply as to test him, grazing the thickness of his thigh. She licked her lips in appreciation. Oh yes, there was no doubt.

They were just a mere whisper apart now. She arched into him. His hands instinctively roved her torso up and down. Marking her. Possessing her. Burning her. She decided that she didn't mind it so much, but it was her turn to mark him.

She swiveled around, locking one leg atop his firm backside, one hand clutching his shoulder. Did he work out? She grinned. Definitely. Her other hand stroked through her tousled hair and made its way down to her navel before settling on his other shoulder. Without missing a cue, his hands hooked underneath her, and she found herself straddled on top on him.

Two could play this game.

Her nails scored his back, her nose nuzzling his neck, her breath caressing his bare skin, her hips gyrating to the beat.

The beat…

She opened her eyes. No one noticed them, indulging in their own rhythm—and partner. She closed her eyes and lost herself. To the music. To the calm buzzing in her mind. To the now. To him.

He patted her calf, her only signal to him setting her down.

The fun hadn't even begun. Shrugging off the rejection, she began to scour for her next conquest. Someone else would welcome her eagerly—and keep her entertained. Before she could move, he nipped her neck. Startled eyes met brown.

It was then that she decided she preferred brown. And definitely preferred it to crimson.


	4. Chapter 4

**Master of Mixed Signals**  
><em>By Saltwater Romance<em>

**Drabble #4:** Sure Thing

* * *

><p><em>"Even when the sun don't shine, I got faith in you and I; so put your pretty little hand in mine."<em> - Miguel

* * *

><p>By the time she heard from home again, a whole two seasons had passed. Snow had christened the ground and the wind never missed an opportunity to tousle her already untamed hair. Nonetheless, neither the distance nor the time had reduced the erratic beating of her heart or the pinkish stain on her cheeks.<p>

He texted her. The he with the crimson eyes and breathtaking smile. The same he who got back together with his ex.

Sumire bit her lip. Although she missed her friends terribly, she also didn't want to get sucked into the cycle of loving the unattainable. She didn't want to wake up every morning with renewed hope that that day would be one when he finally acknowledged her as the woman perfectly tailored for him. She didn't want to sip her midnight tea the following evening with her heart shattered into millions of shards.

She studied her phone once more before someone threw a projectile at her from across the room. Glancing up with a scowl, she tucked her phone into her pocket. The boy with the brown eyes winked at her and gestured towards the classroom door.

_Want to skip?_

Her eyebrow rose.

He clasped his hands together as he pouted behind the teacher's back. She rolled her eyes. _Fine._

He grinned, and they both snuck out of the room with different excuses. He pressed his lips against her temple and wrapped his arm around her tightly—as if he had sensed her feelings for a different man and refused to let her go.

He led her to his treasured 1995 Buick LeSabre. The paint was chipping and the left back window couldn't open and he needed three air fresheners to combat the mustiness, but he loved his car. And he loved the girl who climbed in without batting an eye or wrinkling her nose.

He engulfed her hand in his as he drove to her favorite doughnut shoppe without a word passing behind them. It was then she realized that her fear was unfounded. How could she even consider falling back into that old cycle when there was this man in her life?

She pried her phone out her pocket.

_Hey._

She then yelped in response when Koko nipped at her fingers. She grinned. It was like he knew she was thinking of someone other than him and got jealous. Putting the device away again, she got her revenge by tickling him at the next light.

* * *

><p>To my guest reviewer many months ago: I am very sorry for being unclear in my writing previously. Hopefully, this chapter cleared it up. I had left out names previously to make it more applicable to everyday life and not just the Gakuen Alice universe. I tried to edit the previous chapters so that they would appear less obscure, but I couldn't bare to change what I already wrote. In a way, I like to keep them flaws and all as a way to measure my growth as a writer- though I have a long journey ahead of me.<p>

But basically, chapter 1: unrequited love (Sumire and Natsume). Chapter 2: Sumire is moving and saying goodbye to Natsume and Mikan who are both her friends. Chapter 3: she's at a club dancing with Koko.


End file.
